WEST ALLIS, Wis. (Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026) – Pato O’Ward has just two podium finishes this season, but he stood in the best spot after both – on top.
O’Ward earned his second victory of the season in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, capitalizing on a fast final pit stop and skilled driving through lapped traffic to win the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday at the 1.015-mile oval. O’Ward’s other podium finish came with his first win of the season in July at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“We like Milwaukee,” O’Ward said. “Yesterday, the car was feeling really good. I can say I was struggling a little bit in the race. I definitely was.
“It took me a little bit to find a rhythm. The track was a bit hotter today. It definitely makes these things a little more on the edge. I used it up when we needed it.”
The Mexican captured his 11th career victory by .7916 of a second over the No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet of Scott McLaughlin, who used one less pit stop than his rivals to gain track position in the 250-lap race.
Christian Lundgaard gave Arrow McLaren two of the three podium positions with his best career oval finish in the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet. This was the first podium sweep this season by Chevrolet-powered drivers in a race in which rival Honda clinched its 12th INDYCAR SERIES engine manufacturers championship.
David Malukas kept the good times rolling for Chevy by finishing fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Series leader Alex Palou moved within inches of his fifth championship and record-tying fourth in a row by rounding out the top five in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Palou leads Kyle Kirkwood by 97 points with two races remaining. Palou only needs to lead by 54 points after the completion of the Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 at 6 p.m. ET Sunday (FS1), a race halted by rain and wet track conditions after 90 laps were completed Saturday.
The Spaniard led a race-high 115 laps but faded toward the end of this race. Kirkwood finished sixth in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda of Andretti Global.
“We were going for the win today and didn’t really have enough pace,” Palou said. “Good opportunity tonight to get that championship. We know it’s going to be tough, but we’re going to try and fix the car a little it and try to see if we can make it faster.”
The race featured a variety of pit strategies, as some teams decided to pit early during cycles in an attempt to “undercut” their rivals on worn Firestone Firehawk tires and gain track position. Meanwhile, McLaughlin capitalized on the decision by strategist Tim Cindric to make four stops, instead of the five trips to the pits for every other top-10 finisher.
O’Ward’s path to victory also was paved in the pits. He was running fourth, right behind McLaughlin, when both made their final stop on Lap 192.
O’Ward’s crew atoned from a slow first stop early in the race by servicing his car in 6.6 seconds, letting O’Ward beat McLaughlin out of the pits.
The top two drivers at the time, Will Power of Andretti Global and Lundgaard, pitted on the next lap – with tough results for each.
Power was caught speeding entering the pits for that stop and was ordered to serve a drive-through penalty. Lundgaard’s crew had trouble changing the right front and left rear tires, resulting in an 11.3-second stop and perhaps costing Lundgaard a chance at his first career oval victory.
Many other cars cycled through stops in the next few laps, with O’Ward taking the lead for good on Lap 196 when Santino Ferrucci pitted from the lead in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises.
Then the gap between O’Ward and McLaughlin see-sawed as both drivers danced through lapped traffic in a race that featured 333 passes for position – the most ever for the INDYCAR SERIES during its long history at the Milwaukee Mile.
O’Ward’s margin shriveled from 3.299 seconds on Lap 224 to just five-tenths of a second five laps later as he tried to pass Power, who was at the tail end of the lead lap due to his penalty and desperately trying to stay there or advance in a fast No. 26 Phoenix Investors Honda.
Power finally surrendered that spot when O’Ward cleared him on Lap 235 and set sail for the checkered flag. O’Ward led McLaughlin by two seconds by Lap 245 and was home free.
O’Ward also took heart in Victory Lane that he would strap back into his car within a few hours as the leader of the race that was suspended Saturday, with a chance to win two NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on the same day.
“I’ve never been in this position before,” O’Ward said. “We just won a race while leading another one. That’s pretty crazy.”
